Added Value. Kevin in the Woods/Zurich

Kevin in the Woods is the outdoor specialist in Zurich; it strives to combine style and function skilfully.

Kevin in the Woods/Zurich. Marco Karim El Haddachi hit the mark with his idea of combining fashion and function. His customers love the mix of cool brands with an urban design approach and outdoor performance. As a location, he chose Zurich’s new trend district “Europaallee”, which is close to the nightlife district “Langstrasse”. Text: Kay Alexander Plonka. Photos: Kevin in the Woods ADDED VALUE

Rhineland-born Marco Karim El Haddachi has been living in Switzerland since 2006. At first, the business graduate worked for an international fashion group from Germany and local fashion suppliers before opening his own store in 2015. He opted for a 180-square-metre shop in the new “Europaallee” district. The upcoming 80,000-square-metre area connects the nightlife district with the city centre and the main train station. It is within walking distance of the famous “Bahnhofstrasse”. The aforementioned “Europaallee” district combines hotels, restaurants, offices, universities, retailers, and approximately 400 apartments. Companies such as Google, UBS, Leonteq, and Credit Suisse have recently relocated their offices to the new area. When the district is completed in 2020, it will act as a new centre of life for approximately 8,000 employees and 5,000 students. URBAN MEETS NATURE “As soon as you leave the house and are active outdoors - be it on your way to work on your bike, walking the dog in the park, meeting friends at the lake, or heading into the mountains - you want your clothing to offer an added value in terms of function, even within an urban area. However, you also don’t want it to be as colourful and sporty as the high-performance garments intended for use in the high-Alpine regions. The key words are multi-functionality and style. Our customers prefer a clean and modern look that is also sporty and casual. They want clothing that allows them to travel comfortably, while still being well-dressed. The jeans and chinos by Alchemy Equip

ment are an excellent example: they feature a 3xDry coating developed by Schoeller and thus repel water and dirt while remaining light and breathable. They are not only practical, but also fit perfectly and look great,” Marco Karim El Haddachi explains. He came up with the design for the store interior himself within two days using a free 3D architecture programme downloaded from the Internet. To implement his ideas, he teamed up with a local joinery. Stained spruce wood underlines the outdoor character, while product carriers with integrated LED lights reflect the modernity and functionality of the concept. An absolute highlight is the wooden pergola, also made of stained solid spruce, which looks particularly spectacular in this room with a ceiling height of 4 metres. “The ambivalence of city and nature, as well as the contrast created by concrete and wood, reflect our concept perfectly. We made the premises a little more accessible by adding contemporary plants,” Marco Karim El Haddachi adds. By the way, the name of the store is not based on the films “Kevin Home Alone” or “The Cabin in the Woods”, but stands for sophisticated looks in a functional fashion context. The name Kevin originates from the Irish language and means something like “grace from birth”.

Kevin in the Woods

Europaallee, Lagerstrasse 82 Zurich/Switzerland www.kevininthewoods.com Opening: 2015 Owner: Marco Karim El Haddachi Employees: 2 Sales area: 165 sqm Brands: And Wander, Alchemy Equipment, Allterrain, Armor Lux, Bellroy, C6, Caputo & Co., Eastlogue, Ecoalf, Halo, Heimplanet, Herno, Hestra, Isaora, Mission Workshop, Mikia, Norse Projects, Outerknown, Peak Performance, Penfield, Snow Peak, Solstice, Topo Designs, Veja, We Norwegians, Welter Shelter